10 best apps for the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Sony’s Xperia Z1 Compact is an excellent smartphone, eschewing the “big is better” mentality of most high-end handsets for a “less is more” approach. It’s a bona fide top tier phone that, thanks to its relatively dinky 4.3in screen, isn’t a struggle to squeeze in your jeans pocket.

If you’ve recently bought an Xperia Z1 Compact, you’ll probably want to fit it out with some top notch apps – and to that end, we’ve scoured the Google Play Store to find some of the best around.

5by (Free)

5by (Free)

Great for passing the time when you’re at a loose end, 5by is a video recommendation and playback app which curates and suggests short clips depending on what you feel like watching: comedy, sport, science and tech news etc. It’s also fully compatible with Google’s Chromecast, so you can beam the videos wirelessly to your TV.

Super Stickman Golf 2 (Free)

A simple but maddeningly addictive casual game in which you play increasingly outlandish holes of 2D golf. It’s a little like Worms, a little like Angry Birds and not very much like actual golf (more fun, if you ask us).

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Agent (Free)

Agent (Free)

A collection of apps – or “Agents” – that’ll make you life a little bit easier, Agent features a battery-saver; a setting that automatically silences your phone every night when you go to sleep; a Drive mode that reads SMS messages aloud and auto-responds to calls while you’re in the car; a setting that helps you remember where you parked said car; and a meeting mode that syncs with your calendar and ensures your phone won’t bother you at any times when you’re scheduled for a meeting. Great stuff considering it’s free.

Dots (Free)

Dots (Free)

Unquestionably the most tastefully designed smartphone game around, Dots is Candy Crush Saga’s cousin who works at an East London creative agency, eats only grass-fed beef and ride a fixed-gear bicycle. Essentially, you join dots into chains – the longer these are, the more points you rack up. The minimalist looks and simple, clever use of audio mask a compellingly complex game where, if you want to score big, you need to plan several moves ahead.

VSCO Cam (Free)

The Xperia Z1 Compact boasts a fantastic 20.7MP camera, and the VSCO Cam app makes a worthy alternative to Sony’s own photography software. Featuring some tastefully understated and adjustable filters (its black and white filters are streets ahead of Instagram’s), it allows for a decent degree of photo editing and offers one of the best sharing platforms around in VSCO Grid.